In offering The Washington Hypothesis as an example of irresponsible history, please understand that I do not hold Mr. Ballard personally responsible for the corruption of American history or what for me is more serious, his introduction of Moroni into the account. (Imagine the reader who is persuaded that Moroni did appear to George Washington, then learns that the entire “Washington’s Vision” account is fictional. What will he then conclude about Joseph Smith’s claim that Moroni appeared to him?)

But I don’t hold Mr. Ballard accountable. He is not a historian either by training or by natural gift. He is a man whose patriotic fervor is bound tightly to his religious faith, and he naturally seeks ties between patriotism and religion that he presupposes must be there.

No, the entity that is responsible for this irresponsible history is, I believe, his publisher.
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But someone at Deseret Book recognized that something was “off” about The Washington Hypothesis, whether or not he could identify the faultiness of Mr. Ballard’s evidence (which, by the way, extends far beyond the single example of “Washington’s Vision.” His “Indian Prophecy” chapter, and others, are just as guilty of mistaking literary romance for actual history.) Someone wanted even greater distance than usual between Deseret Book and the claims of this book, and has added a “Publisher’s Note” warning the reader that “A hypothesis is not a statement of fact, though it often reads like one. …”

America is a covenant nation, and its founding reflects those covenant promises repeated so often in the Book of Mormon. These are binding promises from God, which He remembered for generations. A covenant nation has covenant protection—which began even at its founding.

What’s interesting is that George Washington was so fully aware that God was at the helm of this battle and that their success was completely dependent on the miracles of Providence.

Ballard says these miracles came to George Washington and the American cause—and came often—though secular scholars will dismiss it or find other explanations. It is critical that we, who have the benefit of gospel understanding, not forget the exceptional intervention of God in America’s founding.

In our time the history of the United States has been secularized to the point that God has been removed from textbooks, schools and university curricula. After reading the citations, research and assertions made by Ballard, I see that the Washington Hypothesis is backed by persuasive evidence. It also makes it more apparent to me that we have become an ungrateful nation, indifferent to the source of the blessings we enjoy here.

You probably won't ever see a PBS special about the material found in this book, but it would be a great story. Enthralling. Dramatic. Amazing. Miraculous. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the backstory and lead-up to the creation of our Constitution, and the Restoration.

To say these “hypotheses” lack credibility would be an understatement. They frankly misinterpret sources and evidences, ignore literally centuries of scholarship, and make a mush of the historian’s craft. What’s especially egregious is that Washington and Lincoln have probably received more attention than anyone else in American history, and to think that a hobbyist found evidence that not only everyone else overlooked, but evidence that completely contradicts everything else that has been written and is available, is more than a tad jejune. As a historian, this kind of thing makes me cringe. These types of books severely hurt Deseret Book’s credibility and stagnate the development of the Mormon community’s historical consciousness.